STS112 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Boris Hessen, Scientific Revolution, Natural Philosophy
8 Jun 2018
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Week 12: Internalism vs. Externalism
Externalism
• Soviet Marxist Historian of Science, Boris Hessen (1893-1936) at the 1931, presented a paper (‘The Social
and Economic Roots of Newton’s Principia’) arguing that the Scientific Revolution could be explained in
Marxist terms
o Aroused considerable intellectual attention
o His style of explanation became identified as externalism
o Stimulated lots of debate and critique
• J.D. Bernal (1901 – 1971) was a British physicist and Historian who helped develop the Hessen thesis
through the 1930’s – 1950’s in his famous textbook ‘Science in History’ (1954)
o Argued early Capitalism demanded new forms of practical knowledge linked in turn with new areas of
theory in natural philosophy
Critique
• Main developments of Natural Philosophy during the Scientific Revolution were not initiated by the desire
to solve technical problems
• Has problems in overstating that so much Natural Philosophy was geared towards practical problem solving
and developing technology
Internalism
• Emphasises on the idea that science progresses through its own inner logic i.e., concepts, theories and
methods
• Science is either the history of major ideas, the history of the scientific method, or intellectual problem
solving
• Alexander Koyre (1892 – 1964)
o Wrote on the History and Philosophy of Science (Metaphysics)
o Fundamental explanation is the role of great thinkers of the 16th and 17th Century, such as Galileo,
Kepler and Newton
• Alistair Crombie (1915 – 1996)
o Believed that the History of Science is the History of the Scientific Method
o Scientific Method begins with Aristotle was further developed in Medieval Universities and finally
refined by Galileo and Newton
Critique
• Internalists ignore the tremendous social, economic and religious changes of the 15th-17th Centuries it
seems implausible that these changes would have no effect on Scientific Ideas
Internal vs. External
• Both Internalism and Externalism set up an image of the ‘inside’ and the ‘outside’ of science which is
unrealistic
• Science is both influenced by the internal dynamics of knowledge making sub-cultures but also by the way
these sub-cultures and individual members are influenced by broader ‘external’ social factors
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Document Summary
Externalism: soviet marxist historian of science, boris hessen (1893-1936) at the 1931, presented a paper ( the social and economic roots of newton"s principia") arguing that the scientific revolution could be explained in. Marxist terms: aroused considerable intellectual attention, his style of explanation became identified as externalism, stimulated lots of debate and critique, j. d. Critique: main developments of natural philosophy during the scientific revolution were not initiated by the desire to solve technical problems, has problems in overstating that so much natural philosophy was geared towards practical problem solving and developing technology. Critique: internalists ignore the tremendous social, economic and religious changes of the 15th-17th centuries it seems implausible that these changes would have no effect on scientific ideas.
